Google Labs

Last updated
Google Labs' icon Google Labs Icon (2023).svg
Google Labs' icon

Google Labs is an incubator created by Google to test and publicly demonstrate new projects.

Contents

Labs
Project typeExperiment
Funding agency Google
Duration2006;18 years ago (2006)
Website labs.google

The original version was online from early 2002 to mid-2011. Google described Labs as "a playground where our more adventurous users can play around with prototypes of some of our wild and crazy ideas and offer feedback directly to the engineers who developed them." [1]

In 2023, Google revived Labs at the annual Google I/O keynote. [2]

Former Google Labs' icon Google labs icon.png
Former Google Labs' icon

History

Former Google Labs Logo Google labs logo.png
Former Google Labs Logo

Google also used an invitation-only model for users to test Labs products including Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Wave, and many of these also have their own "Labs" experimental features and previews. Labs was later removed from Google Calendar.

In 2006, all Google Labs products were presented with a consistent icon, a flask, and a gray title, as opposed to other color-coded Google products, such as Google News and Google Maps.

Discontinuation and revival

In July 2011, Google announced that it was discontinuing Google Labs. [3]

Many of the experiments have been discontinued, although a few have moved to the main search pages or have been integrated into other products. Google still has many links to its defunct "Labs" tools in Google blogs that are readily accessible through a Google search.

In November 2021, the Google Labs brand was revived for an internal group at Google encompassing Google's AR and VR efforts, Area 120, as well as Project Starline. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Search</span> Search engine from Google

Google Search is a search engine operated by Google. It allows users to search for information on the Internet by entering keywords or phrases. Google Search uses algorithms to analyze and rank websites based on their relevance to the search query. It is the most popular search engine worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality</span> Computer-simulated experience

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. Other distinct types of VR-style technology include augmented reality and mixed reality, sometimes referred to as extended reality or XR, although definitions are currently changing due to the nascence of the industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gmail</span> Email service provided by Google

Gmail is an email service provided by Google. As of 2019, it had 1.5 billion active users worldwide, making it the largest email service in the world. It also provides a webmail interface, accessible through a web browser, and is also accessible through the official mobile application. Google also supports the use of third-party email clients via the POP and IMAP protocols.

Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Bing</span> Web search engine developed by Microsoft

Microsoft Bing, commonly referred to as Bing, is a search engine owned and operated by Microsoft. The service traces its roots back to Microsoft's earlier search engines, including MSN Search, Windows Live Search, and Live Search. Bing offers a broad spectrum of search services, encompassing web, video, image, and map search products, all developed using ASP.NET.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Health</span> Division of Google

Google Health was a project by Google designed as an attempt to create a repository of health records and data in order to connect doctors, hospitals and pharmacies directly. The project was introduced in 2008 and discontinued in 2012. Google Health was restarted in 2018, but appeared to be discontinued in 2021 and was officially called an "effort" rather than a separate division as of 2022.

Google Workspace is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google. It consists of Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Meet and Chat for communication; Currents for employee engagement; Drive for storage; and the Google Docs Editors suite for content creation. An Admin Panel is provided for managing users and services. Depending on edition Google Workspace may also include the digital interactive whiteboard Jamboard and an option to purchase add-ons such as the telephony service Voice. The education edition adds a learning platform Google Classroom and today has the name Workspace for Education.

Google I/O, or simply I/O, is an annual developer conference held by Google in Mountain View, California. The name "I/O" is taken from the number googol, with the "I" representing the "1" in googol and the "O" representing the first "0" in the number. The format of the event is similar to Google Developer Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Chrome</span> Web browser developed by Google

Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, and also for Android, where it is the default browser. The browser is also the main component of ChromeOS, where it serves as the platform for web applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chromium (web browser)</span> Open-source web browser project

Chromium is a free and open-source web browser project, primarily developed and maintained by Google. It is a widely-used codebase, providing the vast majority of code for Google Chrome and many other browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Samsung Internet, and Opera. The code is also used by several app frameworks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Catalogs</span> Shopping application for tablet computers

Google Catalogs was a shopping application for tablet computers, which was produced by Google in August 2011. Google Catalogs delivered virtual catalogs to users from merchants like Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, Macy's, Pottery Barn, and many more. Merchants were added through a process by which they submitted a form with information and a sample of their catalog, which was then reviewed by Google's editorial team. The application was noted as a "Greener Way to Shop", as the digitization of catalogs substituted for paper versions. Google announced the intent to discontinue the iPad app effective August 2013 and eventually shut down the project entirely in August 2015.

Mozilla is a free software community founded in 1998 by members of Netscape. The Mozilla community uses, develops, publishes and supports Mozilla products, thereby promoting exclusively free software and open standards, with only minor exceptions. The community is supported institutionally by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation and its tax-paying subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reality Labs</span> Virtual and augmented reality products company

Reality Labs, originally Oculus VR, is a business and research unit of Meta Platforms that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon Worlds. In June 2022, several artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that were previously a part of Meta AI were transitioned to Reality Labs. This also includes Meta's fundamental AI Research laboratory FAIR which is now part of the Reality Labs - Research (RLR) division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accelerated Mobile Pages</span> Open source fast loading HTML framework

AMP is an open source HTML framework developed by the AMP Open Source Project. It was originally created by Google as a competitor to Facebook Instant Articles and Apple News. AMP is optimized for mobile web browsing and intended to help webpages load faster. AMP pages may be cached by a CDN, such as Microsoft Bing or Cloudflare's AMP caches, which allows pages to be served more quickly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poly (website)</span> 3D object library created by Google

Poly was a website created by Google for users to browse, distribute, and download 3D objects. It was launched in 2017 and intended to allow creators to easily share and access 3D objects. It featured a free library containing thousands of 3D objects for use in virtual reality and augmented reality applications. On December 2, 2020, it was announced that Poly would be shutting down on June 30, 2021, with the ability to upload 3D models to be suspended on April 30, 2021.

Project Starline is an experimental video communication method currently in development by Google that allows the user to see a 3D model of the person they are communicating with. Google announced the product at its 2021 I/O developer conference, saying that it will allow users to "talk naturally, gesture and make eye contact" by utilizing machine learning, spatial audio, computer vision and real-time compression to create the 3D effect without the user wearing typical virtual reality goggles. The goal is to make the user feel as if they are in the same room with the other user.

Area 120 is Google's in-house incubator in which employees work on 20% Project product ideas. It has helped develop Gmail, Google AdSense, Google News, and Google Cardboard.

Project Iris is the codename for an unreleased augmented reality (AR) headset designed and developed by Google. It was intended to resemble ordinary eyeglasses and expected to be released in 2024, until its cancellation in early 2023.

The Meta Quest Pro is a mixed reality (MR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms.

References

  1. "Google Lab FAQ". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011.
  2. Wilson, Mark (May 10, 2023). "Meet Google's new AI Search. And its feisty alter ego" . Fast Company . Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. "Google Lab closure announcement".
  4. Perez, Sarah (November 11, 2021). "Google reorg moves AR, VR, Starline and Area 120 into new 'Labs' team". TechCrunch . Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.